Another found footage movie. Found footage is not a bad genre but there has been so much crappy movies made using the technique that most people now just assume that every FF movie released is trash. This movie wasn't absolutely terrible or a torture to sit-through but all the stuff that they show in the movie,all the techniques they use and the style of film making and acting,even the characters, have been done to death in the FF genre before this. There is nothing new or refreshing in this movie to draw audiences to watch it. Only towards the end,it got a little interesting but it's not worth sitting through the whole movie only for a few minutes near the end. If u are a hardcore fan of FF,this might be a good watch. Other than that,this is either going to be a waste of time or a completely forgettable movie.
18 Reviews
Bigfoot meets found footage, again.
victoryismineblast21 July 2014
As of late Bigfoot and found footage seem to be combined a lot. Bigfoot movies are generally full of mystery and can be a lot of fun. Not this one however.
Five years ago, Chris went hunting with his father, who was killed. Chris believes it was a Bigfoot that killed him. Now he's grown up and wants to return to the scene of the crime and exact revenge. Chris hires a cameraman and sound guy for seven days. He buys a semi-automatic rifle and shotgun. He enlists his girlfriend and best friend to accompany him and even rents an attack dog for protection.
What follows is a found footage horror that follows the formula of The Blair Witch Project pretty closely.
The trio arrive at the town and interview the townspeople. Then they descend upon the forest in search of the elusive Bigfoot. This is the part where the tension builds, right? Wrong. Nothing much happens for a very long time. In fact nothing really happens until the last 15 minutes, and even that isn't very interesting. No build up and little payoff make for a mediocre experience.
As a Bigfoot AND found footage fan I can't recommend this one as it doesn't really deliver on the scares.
Five years ago, Chris went hunting with his father, who was killed. Chris believes it was a Bigfoot that killed him. Now he's grown up and wants to return to the scene of the crime and exact revenge. Chris hires a cameraman and sound guy for seven days. He buys a semi-automatic rifle and shotgun. He enlists his girlfriend and best friend to accompany him and even rents an attack dog for protection.
What follows is a found footage horror that follows the formula of The Blair Witch Project pretty closely.
The trio arrive at the town and interview the townspeople. Then they descend upon the forest in search of the elusive Bigfoot. This is the part where the tension builds, right? Wrong. Nothing much happens for a very long time. In fact nothing really happens until the last 15 minutes, and even that isn't very interesting. No build up and little payoff make for a mediocre experience.
As a Bigfoot AND found footage fan I can't recommend this one as it doesn't really deliver on the scares.
Found footage film is formulaic, but has realistic manic moments
robertemerald15 November 2019
Sometimes it's really hard to watch movies about late teens if you are not a teen. Hunting The Legend is pretty much an expansion of the actual Blair Witch (1999) idea, but, as we've become used to now, crammed with much more argument among the members of this particular search team. I really hope all this aggressive garrulous behaviour I keep seeing in American teen movies these days is not a reflection of their true character. Certainly the actors must be challenged, and to be fair, they are all good actors here. Yes, the movie does establish a fair amount of spook before the finale. It's an OK found footage horror movie, and I certainly got a rise a few times, and the build up is certainly a ride. The format in this case works against the filmmaker rather than making it easier. Given it has been 15 years since Blair Witch, well, perhaps it's time to try something more original.
A very uneventful hour and a half
TheLittleSongbird31 July 2014
There is no personal bias intended towards the found footage genre, though I'm not a fan. The Hunting Legend joins the vast list of badly done found-footage movies, and while possibly not the worst it's down there. The best things are the dog(who offers the best acting in the movie, no joke) and the eerie sound effects for the creature. Elsewhere, The Hunting Legend's a stinker with its main flaw being that almost nothing happens other than constant arguing and chasing noises in the dark, it had a decent idea that is not used well at all and in the end felt very over-familiar. The pacing is so dull, with some very overlong scenes that are literally five or so minutes of the same thing happening, it's almost interminable. The ending doesn't feel like an ending with no pay-off and leaves us to decide what happened, we don't have any idea whether it was a Bigfoot or some serial killer(which is hinted at, and in a way that is too much of an afterthought) responsible and unfortunately by this point we don't care. Speaking of the Bigfoot, the closest we actually see one is on the poster and on blurry shadowy images that are not easy to make out, almost non-existent really. The Hunting Legend looks poor visually, the use of jump cuts bordered on excessive and annoying, scenes are lit so darkly some of the movie is not very easy to make out what's happening and the editing is enough to make one nauseous. The movie does nothing in making the characters interesting or likable(even the lead character), you've seen their types millions of times before and with no variation, their actions are repetitious and a lot of the time they act like idiots. The acting is basically constant screaming and not much else, Hannah Wallace being the worst offender. To conclude, very poorly done, one external review has likened it to an hour and a half of nothing and that sums The Hunting Legend up perfectly. 1/10 Bethany Cox
Words don't start to describe this snoozefest...
paul_haakonsen27 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
First of all I will say that "Hunting the Legend" actually had some of the more bearable and viewable of camera-work in the atrocious found footage genre.
That being said, then it was all downhill from there on. If you don't want spoilers about this movie, then read no further!
Having sat through a little more than an hour and a half, it is saddening to say that the most you will see of the bigfoot, yeti, sasquatch, or call it what you will, then what seen on the movie's cover/poster is sadly the most of the creature you will see in the entire movie. I kid you not.
The story is about Christopher Copeland whose father was allegedly killed and dragged off into the woods during a hunting trip, leaving young Christopher scarred for life. Years later, he gathers together a small group of people and venture into the wilderness in search of the legendary bigfoot whom he believed killed his father.
The movie brought nothing new or groundbreaking to the found footage genre, and the characters were basically just generic copies of characters already seen countless other times in similar found footage movies. Although I will say that the acting throughout the movie was done without much conviction.
"Hunting the Legend" was a massive slap in the face and a major disappointment. Especially after having suffered through an hour and a half without anything happening, or without seeing anything more than a blurry shadow on the camera as in terms of seeing the creature.
This movie was a snoozefest through and through. And it is without amongst one of the more disappointing and boring movies that I have seen in a long, long time. "Hunting the Legend" scores a well-deserved and rock solid 1 out of 10 stars, without a doubt.
That being said, then it was all downhill from there on. If you don't want spoilers about this movie, then read no further!
Having sat through a little more than an hour and a half, it is saddening to say that the most you will see of the bigfoot, yeti, sasquatch, or call it what you will, then what seen on the movie's cover/poster is sadly the most of the creature you will see in the entire movie. I kid you not.
The story is about Christopher Copeland whose father was allegedly killed and dragged off into the woods during a hunting trip, leaving young Christopher scarred for life. Years later, he gathers together a small group of people and venture into the wilderness in search of the legendary bigfoot whom he believed killed his father.
The movie brought nothing new or groundbreaking to the found footage genre, and the characters were basically just generic copies of characters already seen countless other times in similar found footage movies. Although I will say that the acting throughout the movie was done without much conviction.
"Hunting the Legend" was a massive slap in the face and a major disappointment. Especially after having suffered through an hour and a half without anything happening, or without seeing anything more than a blurry shadow on the camera as in terms of seeing the creature.
This movie was a snoozefest through and through. And it is without amongst one of the more disappointing and boring movies that I have seen in a long, long time. "Hunting the Legend" scores a well-deserved and rock solid 1 out of 10 stars, without a doubt.
Hunting for Something to Keep Me Interested
tmccull529 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is a found footage film that should have remained lost. There is one scene in particular that sums up the inanity of this movie.
Chris, the leader of our merry band, is searching for evidence that Sasquatch exists, particularly the Sasquatch that killed his father. He knows that he is purposefully seeking a violent predator. At one point, he becomes frustrated with the lack of success that the group is having, and he throws his shotgun down on the ground. Another member of the group picks it up to hand it back to him, and Chris says, "Just leave it!"
"Just leave it!"
Bigfoot killed dad. Bigfoot is dangerous. Chris knows this, and he throws his only weapon down and says, "Just leave it!"
So, do you still want to watch this boring, idiotic movie?
Chris, the leader of our merry band, is searching for evidence that Sasquatch exists, particularly the Sasquatch that killed his father. He knows that he is purposefully seeking a violent predator. At one point, he becomes frustrated with the lack of success that the group is having, and he throws his shotgun down on the ground. Another member of the group picks it up to hand it back to him, and Chris says, "Just leave it!"
"Just leave it!"
Bigfoot killed dad. Bigfoot is dangerous. Chris knows this, and he throws his only weapon down and says, "Just leave it!"
So, do you still want to watch this boring, idiotic movie?
OOPS! THERE IT IS!
nogodnomasters12 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Basic Plot Spoilers.
This is another hand held camera hunting Bigfoot tale. Just because it takes place in Alabama doesn't mean it can't be as bad as "Willow Creek." It is. Christopher Copeland is looking for Bigfoot, because it killed his father. This as you "National Enquirer" readers know this is a problem in the rural south along with the alien probings. As a young adult, Chris assembles a posse to go after Bigfoot which include his friend Jeff and sniveling girlfriend Hannah. There is also a camera and sound man who speak about 70 minutes into the film.
They film themselves getting guns from guy-in-trailer, obtaining a dog and then directions from a guy named Rick who owns a guitar shop. They meet a mountain man who "lives off the land" in his cabin with electricity and fake fireplace on loop. There is a lot of internal drama and conflict, I wasn't sure what it was about, except everyone wanted to quit and go back, but never at the same time. So we had to sit through 30 minutes of whine and self induced drama while they freak over a skinned bunny.
As in most hand held films, tears of boredom are created until the last few minutes when the producers decide they can't afford to give you a decent Bigfoot scene, so they jerk the camera around and have people scream and then the proverbial floor/ground cam. Oh yeah. That makes it real.
Guide: F-bomb. No sex, no nudity, no Bigfoot.
This is another hand held camera hunting Bigfoot tale. Just because it takes place in Alabama doesn't mean it can't be as bad as "Willow Creek." It is. Christopher Copeland is looking for Bigfoot, because it killed his father. This as you "National Enquirer" readers know this is a problem in the rural south along with the alien probings. As a young adult, Chris assembles a posse to go after Bigfoot which include his friend Jeff and sniveling girlfriend Hannah. There is also a camera and sound man who speak about 70 minutes into the film.
They film themselves getting guns from guy-in-trailer, obtaining a dog and then directions from a guy named Rick who owns a guitar shop. They meet a mountain man who "lives off the land" in his cabin with electricity and fake fireplace on loop. There is a lot of internal drama and conflict, I wasn't sure what it was about, except everyone wanted to quit and go back, but never at the same time. So we had to sit through 30 minutes of whine and self induced drama while they freak over a skinned bunny.
As in most hand held films, tears of boredom are created until the last few minutes when the producers decide they can't afford to give you a decent Bigfoot scene, so they jerk the camera around and have people scream and then the proverbial floor/ground cam. Oh yeah. That makes it real.
Guide: F-bomb. No sex, no nudity, no Bigfoot.
Another Eat 'em up showboat with poor acting
webbing9229 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
For me, this is sad to say, because I've always been a fan of the horror and sci-fie genre movies, but, this movie was NOT scary. That's always the point of these movies, to scare people. But, this one is not on the scary list. It was poorly written, and I didn't like the fact that all these actors didn't play characters, but they played themselves. This movie is not worth the time or money, so don't do it. And, if you have a kid or know a kid who is a Bigfoot fanatic and wants to see this, don't let him, because, it's full of bad language. So that settles that. This movie is NOT scary and very low budget. Not to mention, the creature itself (which you don't see much), it looks awfully fake.
Spoilers follow ...
parry_na13 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This story is quite simply 'The Blair Witch Project (1999)' featuring Bigfoot. The similarities go beyond simply 'found footage' – we never get to see the monster, but see evidence of its activities hanging from trees. The location is very similar to the woodland featured in Blair Witch and appears to be filmed at the same time of year (lots of crisp sunlight stretching shadows over fallen leaves).
To begin, a deer hunter is killed and taken by a huge animal in the Alabama Woods. Five years later, his son Chris (Chris Copeland), dripping with a lust revenge, determines to travel to the location and track down the animal. ("It's something I gotta do. I need to do it for myself, so," says Chris at one point. Why do people end sentences with 'so?') Lucky for him the deer his father regularly killed don't take the deaths of their number so personally.
A handful of his friends insist on accompanying him on this hazardous trip, and soon they are interviewing locals, all of whom have stories about Bigfoot, including the manager of a guitar shop, who knows of a man who lives deep in the woods. The band of hopeful film-makers then attempt to track the man down. He's not pleased, and doesn't wish to be filmed, but agrees to talk with them. My favourite bit is when the man says – as he's being filmed - 'The camera's off, right? Make sure it stays that way.' One gets the impression the cast were invited to improvise as their stay in the forests becomes more fraught. It is well intentioned, this update of a film that is 15 years old, but in all honesty it just isn't really very well acted, and not frightening. People shouting and arguing over something it becomes clear we are never going to see (apart from a blurred shape behind a tree in photographs) becomes very dull viewing.
(SPOILER)One interesting moment occurs mid-way through the end credits where we see Copeland ringing a bell to attract the local Bigfoots to the dead bodies, explaining how he's managed to survive his isolated existence in such deadly woodland for so long.
To begin, a deer hunter is killed and taken by a huge animal in the Alabama Woods. Five years later, his son Chris (Chris Copeland), dripping with a lust revenge, determines to travel to the location and track down the animal. ("It's something I gotta do. I need to do it for myself, so," says Chris at one point. Why do people end sentences with 'so?') Lucky for him the deer his father regularly killed don't take the deaths of their number so personally.
A handful of his friends insist on accompanying him on this hazardous trip, and soon they are interviewing locals, all of whom have stories about Bigfoot, including the manager of a guitar shop, who knows of a man who lives deep in the woods. The band of hopeful film-makers then attempt to track the man down. He's not pleased, and doesn't wish to be filmed, but agrees to talk with them. My favourite bit is when the man says – as he's being filmed - 'The camera's off, right? Make sure it stays that way.' One gets the impression the cast were invited to improvise as their stay in the forests becomes more fraught. It is well intentioned, this update of a film that is 15 years old, but in all honesty it just isn't really very well acted, and not frightening. People shouting and arguing over something it becomes clear we are never going to see (apart from a blurred shape behind a tree in photographs) becomes very dull viewing.
(SPOILER)One interesting moment occurs mid-way through the end credits where we see Copeland ringing a bell to attract the local Bigfoots to the dead bodies, explaining how he's managed to survive his isolated existence in such deadly woodland for so long.
Good premise, Stupid decisions
gulchu10 July 2020
Start out with a really good premise, and fairly entertaining. But about halfway into it you just see some really stupid decision making going on, that lacks any thread of common sense. I've seen some reviews that compares this to the Blair witch Project, but I do not see any similarity.
Better than Blair Witch ... Excellent Wood Ape Research
stewartflyer-213 September 2014
Okay, I just finished the movie and I was pleasantly surprised. This is an excellent wood ape movie! I have no idea how others ranked it so low.
I was impressed that one man wrote, directed, filmed and acted in the production. Very skilled individual. It was well researched and included traits of the "legend" that aren't that well known by the public (example: wood knocks).
I thought the acting was very good -- especially the scenes where the characters breakdown from being frightened. I camp in the deep woods often and I've seen people go into a cocoon when critters are walking around the campsite.
The movie was suspenseful. I suggest watching it late at night with the lights turned off. Yes, it might start off a little slow, but not any slower than Blair Witch. I also liked the ending that has a twist to make you think and debate. If you liked Blair Witch and you are interested in wood apes, you will love this movie IMHO.
It is well worth the time. I think Joe Bob would say, "Check it out."
I was impressed that one man wrote, directed, filmed and acted in the production. Very skilled individual. It was well researched and included traits of the "legend" that aren't that well known by the public (example: wood knocks).
I thought the acting was very good -- especially the scenes where the characters breakdown from being frightened. I camp in the deep woods often and I've seen people go into a cocoon when critters are walking around the campsite.
The movie was suspenseful. I suggest watching it late at night with the lights turned off. Yes, it might start off a little slow, but not any slower than Blair Witch. I also liked the ending that has a twist to make you think and debate. If you liked Blair Witch and you are interested in wood apes, you will love this movie IMHO.
It is well worth the time. I think Joe Bob would say, "Check it out."
Mediocre but sincere
nebilcs-168-16529829 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Another found footage woods-based plot and this film's major strength is that the actors convey disinterest and boredom really quite accurately... ;-) ... In fairness, they play it straight rather than obviously goofing around and whether it's by accident or design, they let the scenery play a big role in emphasising their remoteness and building suspense. Negative points, well not a lot happens for long periods and there's not a great deal to see that hasn't been done better elsewhere. Moreover an illicit gun supplier might take exception to having a video camera on him during a transaction... But, just when I was going to consign this to a sub-5 score, the final scene played out with the guy in the cabin announcing dinner time. I did like that, darkly funny and definitely worth an extra couple of points :-)
Tired of this stuff!!
teebear8179 May 2021
Enough of this found footage crap already. Its been done to nauseum. Also we suffer thru the new wave camera jumping when they interview anyone. Every few seconds the camera makes a small jump as if its been edited. They do this on yo.utube all the tme. Its not hip, its irritating. Same old, same old camera jerking, dizzying, deja vu garbage. Ad libbing, talking over each other non stop. We turned it off at the 40 minute mark. Total waste of time. Been there, done that too many times.
Here we go again
haskel-729516 February 2022
As far as "let's find Bigfoot" found footage movies go, this is one of them. Has it's moments but ends up being just another average dumb twentysomethings in the woods flick. Don't expect much and you may not be disappointed.
There are better found footage bigfoot films stay away from this one
caitlynrw810 April 2020
I gave this a 3 just because of the different story line as I hadn't seen it before compared to other Bigfoot movies. At first it looked promising and seemed like a lot of work had been put into it. however, that was before i realized how boring and choppy it was. The main characters are absolutely unlikable, they were all arguing the entire time. it got so annoying i couldn't even finish the movie.Also there are points of the movie where there are cuts within seconds of each other making it very choppy and 1 hour worth of 5 idiots walking through the forest doing nothing. "Bigfoot" is only seen once the entire film, one foot print, pictures and a bunch of rabbits hanging from trees. this movies is awful, I recommend you watch Exist or Bigfoot: the lost coast tapes, these two movies are way better than this crap.
The Blair Bigfoot Project
Woodyanders14 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
A deer hunter disappears in the Alabama woods. Five years later the hunter's obsessive son Chris (a solid performance by Christopher Copeland), his best friends Jeff and Hannah, and a two man film crew venture into the wilderness in search of the wily and elusive Bigfoot creature that's rumored to live in the area.
Writer/director Justin Steeley relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, grounds the premise in a believable everyday reality, creates a strong and unsettling feeling of isolation and vulnerability from the remote sylvan setting, builds a good deal of tension, elicits credible acting from the capable no-name cast (Stan Copeland in particular contributes a stand-out turn as a hostile recluse who resides in the middle of nowhere), maintains a winningly sincere tone throughout, and pulls out the harrowing stops at the chillingly bleak conclusion. Moreover, Steeley's purposefully plain style and inspired use of colorful locals in small roles gives this picture a tasty and engaging sense of documentary-like authenticity while the gradual breaking down of morale amongst the group provides an extra potent and unnerving dramatic punch. A neat little flick.
Writer/director Justin Steeley relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, grounds the premise in a believable everyday reality, creates a strong and unsettling feeling of isolation and vulnerability from the remote sylvan setting, builds a good deal of tension, elicits credible acting from the capable no-name cast (Stan Copeland in particular contributes a stand-out turn as a hostile recluse who resides in the middle of nowhere), maintains a winningly sincere tone throughout, and pulls out the harrowing stops at the chillingly bleak conclusion. Moreover, Steeley's purposefully plain style and inspired use of colorful locals in small roles gives this picture a tasty and engaging sense of documentary-like authenticity while the gradual breaking down of morale amongst the group provides an extra potent and unnerving dramatic punch. A neat little flick.
The acting was well done
terrycogan12 May 2021
Hannah Wallace Made this movie
bethesdafanjes5 February 2023
When I first heard about this film thru a podcast I knew I had to not only purchase a copy for myself I had to see it! It takes balls to go in the woods hunting a cannibal killer in some areas they have to eridicate these animals/ monsters who have the strength of 10 grown men. I heard stories of Army Rangers getting obliterated by these monsters! To take a beautiful young woman into the woods with no gun and an attack dog as her defense and stumbling into the monster's territory. She made this movie she is beautiful and strong woman who got snatched up and destroyed by the Sasquatch I'm a huge fan of cryptozoology and wouldn't mind her signing my dvd. Plus she has a sweet bum!
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
